Semiconductor spillover effects fuel Taiwan’s new growth engine

SEMICON Taiwan 2024 officially opened on September 4 at the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center. The opening ceremony was witnessed by Premier of Executive Yuan, Jung-Tai Cho, SEMI President and CEO, Ajit Manocha, Executive Director of TSIA, and CEO and Founder, Etron Technology Inc., Nicky Lu, and numerous government and industry representatives. 

This year's exhibition has attracted more than 85,000 domestic and international industry professionals from 56 countries, showcasing over 1,100 leading companies and 3,700 booths. Additionally, more than 20 international forums are being held concurrently, featuring insights and trends from over 200 distinguished experts.

Ajit Manocha, SEMI President and CEO, stated: " Taiwan boasts a comprehensive and robust semiconductor supply chain, covering every stage from front-end manufacturing and packaging to design and R&D, playing a pivotal role in the AI industry and making significant contributions to global economic growth. Over the next seven years, it is expected that more than 50% of industry growth will stem from AI-related applications, with the industry scale projected to increase from the current $600 billion to $1 trillion. 

"By 2040 to 2050, during the quantum era, the industry could reach a scale of $4 to $5 trillion, with Taiwan continuing to play an indispensable role. Today, the semiconductor industry faces multiple challenges, including talent shortages, supply chain disruptions, and sustainability concerns, which require global collaboration. Taiwan, with its leading position and comprehensive supply chain, will play a critical role in addressing these challenges. "

Premier of Executive Yuan, Jung-Tai Cho emphasized: "Among the five core industries outlined by the government, AI and semiconductors undoubtedly form the central part. We will continue to provide an excellent environment for investment, manufacturing, and production, and will timely adjust and relax policies to fully support the global semiconductor development. 

"SEMICON Taiwan once again showcases Taiwan's capabilities to the world, allowing us to move forward bravely in the AI wave. As long as the world needs Taiwan, the government will shoulder its responsibilities, working hand in hand with the industry and the people to elevate the high-tech industry to new heights. "

Minister of Economic Affairs Jyh-Huei Kuo, Minister of Digital Affairs Yennun Huang, and Vice Minister of the National Science and Technology Council  Chen-Kang Su also attended the event, underscoring the government's strong commitment to the semiconductor industry. As one of the five major focus industries of the Taiwanese government, the semiconductor industry is not only the driving force behind Taiwan's economic growth, but also the cornerstone of future technological innovation and global competitiveness.

As the world's most influential semiconductor exhibition, this year's SEMICON Taiwan is being held for the first time across two main venues. In addition to continuing the focus on popular semiconductor topics, including advanced processes, equipment and materials, heterogeneous integration, compound semiconductors, smart manufacturing, green manufacturing, cybersecurity, and talent, leading companies are showcasing the latest developments and technological applications. 

This year, newly-added areas such as the "Smart Mobility Innovation Zone," "AI Technology Zone," and "Silicon Photonics Pavilion" will showcase the limitless applications of semiconductors in empowering AI, helping all attendees explore the latest trends in the semiconductor market.

Big four discuss AI chip century

The highly anticipated CEO Summit made its debut on the first day of the exhibition, inviting global semiconductor supply chain giants such as TSMC, Applied Materials, Google, imec, Marvell, Microsoft, Samsung Electronics, and SK hynix to analyze industry dynamics, market innovation trends, and advanced semiconductor technologies from four key areas: manufacturing, packaging, memory, and chip design. 

This year, for the first time, the forum also featured the "AI Chip Fireside Chat," moderated by Dr. Tien Wu, CEO of ASE Group. Dr. Y.J. Mii, Executive VP and Co-COO of TSMC, Dr. Jung-Bae Lee, Corporate Head of Memory Business at Samsung Electronics, and Hamidou Dia, VP of Applied AI Engineering at Google, gathered to explore various issues in the AI era, ranging from technological integration, social impact, and the construction of industrial chains to changes in geopolitical dynamics, and how AI technology will shape the future of the world.

Heterogeneous Integration, 3D IC/CoWoS marvels

With the advent of the HPC/AI era, the SEMICON Taiwan Heterogeneous Integration Global Summit 2024 has become increasingly diverse, with four consecutive days of forums exploring key technologies such as HBM, silicon photonics, CPO, hybrid bonding, and liquid cooling. Through cross-sector collaboration and exchange, the forum aims to drive the emergence of complete new technologies and applications. 

Given Taiwan's leading position in advanced packaging within the global supply chain, this year's exhibition will also host the 3D IC/CoWoS for AI Summit, and the FOPLP Innovation Forum for the first time. Led by TSMC and ASE, these forums will discuss the latest developments and breakthroughs in packaging technologies, attracting over 2,500 industry professionals to participate in this grand event. 

Semiconductor fan-out panel level packaging (FOPLP) technology, which has gained significant attention as the next-generation technology, will be explored by industry pioneers such as ASE, Innolux, and NXP, focusing on accelerating technological breakthroughs and enhancing semiconductor manufacturing capabilities.

As key semiconductor events, the Power and Opto Semiconductor Forum and the Quantum Taiwan Forum attract industry experts each year. This year's Power and Opto Semiconductor Forum will feature leaders such as Broadcom, Infineon Technologies, and Texas Instruments to discuss the latest technological breakthroughs and application trends in the power and optoelectronics sectors. 

Meanwhile, the Quantum Taiwan Forum will bring together key players in quantum computing, including IBM, Foxconn, and Keysight, to explore cutting-edge developments in quantum technology and its potential applications in the semiconductor industry. These high-profile sessions will continue to drive global semiconductor technology progress and enhance Taiwan's influence in the international semiconductor arena.

Semiconductor spillover effects fuel Taiwan’s new growth engine 

As the core driver of global technological development, Taiwan's semiconductor industry is pushing innovation and transformation across various fields, from the electric vehicle and data center supply chains to machinery and tooling industries. 

This year, SEMICON Taiwan is partnering with the Taiwan Association of Machinery Industry (TAMI) and the Taiwan Machine Tool & Accessory Builders’ Association (TMBA) to showcase advanced smart manufacturing technologies and solutions that integrate semiconductors with AI, as well as the results of smart and green transformations. The event will emphasize the joint efforts of these three parties to accelerate Taiwan's new growth engine and jointly tackle the challenges of smart and sustainable global manufacturing.

This year, the event marks a milestone as SEMI collaborates for the first time with Taipei 101. From 6:30 PM to 10:00 PM on the opening day (September 4), a lighting ceremony was held to express support for the semiconductor industry’s role in illuminating Taiwan, and shining on the global stage. The event invites everyone to celebrate Taiwan’s semiconductor industry’s brilliant performance.